How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Makeup is still a thing right? I definitely haven’t worn as much in the past year but I’ve had my days of doing a full face just because I needed a mood booster. Whatever you need to spark some joy for yourself these days I’m absolutely here for!

But the question is: How often do you actually clean those brushes? Guilty as charged that it’s definitely not as frequent for me as it probably should be. I’ll be honest and put it out there and say that I use my brushes and blenders about 3ish times before I actually wash them. Gross, huh? But I have a pain free solution that takes care of that, easy peasy. I don’t like using chemical cleaners because I use these products on my face so a simple at home recipe does the trick.

Learn how I clean my brushes below!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• Dawn dish soap like the one I use here
• Vegetable oil like this one
• Dirty makeup or skincare brushes. Including your beauty blender sponges

The soap will get all the dirt and bacteria out of your brushes while the oil will help keep the bristles soft and durable.

How to Clean the Brushes

Step 1:

Lay out the brushes that need to be cleaned on the counter. Next, you’ll want to get a plate and pour a decent amount of the dish soap on one side and then a smaller amount of the oil beside the soap.

Step 2:

Next, you’ll want to start with your first brush and mix the two liquids together and really work them into the bristles. After you’ve mixed the brush into the mixture, place it aside and repeat for the rest. Replace the soap and oil when necessary if there’s not enough. Also, you’ll want to make sure you have more soap on your brush than oil. The oil is just there to help keep the bristles soft. If your brush feels oily after washing, you’ll need to go back and add more soap.

Step 3:

Once all your tools are blended with the mixture, put the tap to lukewarm water and begin rinsing them out. I usually keep the brush under the water and make circular motions in the palm of my hand. I do this until there is no soap left when I squeeze the water out of the bristles. Repeat for all your brushes. When the water runs clear and the all the soap has been washed away, squeeze the brush so excess water is removed and place them flat on a towel to dry.

With your sponges, keep squeezing it until it the water runs clear as well. The sponges usually take a few minutes to really remove everything but they really do come out brand new.

Step 4:

Let your brushes dry over night and then put them away! That’s it! Super easy and simple. In all, the process takes about 45 minutes or so, depending on how many brushes you have to actually clean.

Brushes That Are Good as New

I have been cleaning my brushes like this for years. I have had the same ones for so long and I really believe that washing them this way has helped sustain them. Because let’s face it, brushes aren’tt cheap!

How often do you clean your brushes? Have you ever tried cleaning them this way?

In case you missed last week’s post, you can find that here. I’m chatting all about mental health and finding the right therapist for you.